Loz Tonkyn:

I'm studying the anti-psychiatry movement n learned a bit bout humanist psychology - i realised that whirly is run by people who are trained at making the experience of the night as special as possible - making u feel good through light n sound, a real healing process... that's why its so perfectly good- these guys are professionals!
I also just got the significance of being taken on a journey out of this world (by monkey pilot) seeing the earth from space on that projection, and while away from earth we are shown the amazing beauty of all the cultures in different countries.. then we are let back down to earth gently with the parachute!! The whole thing is symbolic of a trip out of this world and back again!! or have I read to much into it??!!

Not Only My First ...... Lucy
As the music played I felt that I was being enveloped, and my attention had to be directed to it. I became quite tearful, yet totally happy. The hairs on my body bristled. A new dawn, the first steps into a new life, a new me. The music is so beautiful, about all the joy and beauty that I can bear. The lights were stunning and refracting from all angles. I was afraid to turn and face the people, for fear they will overwhelm me. However I looked, and found that then, I was complete.

The whole world must get to experience a profound state like Whirl-Y-Gig. I felt totally serene. I have lived all my life to get to this point, and I feel I have arrived home.
                       
   

More than an Experience ...... Ailish

The music is thudding. Deep, lustrous beats entwined with melodic tinkles, like the noise fairies would make while tiptoeing on water droplets in the garden. And these fairies come to life this night. The reality is formed through tutus spinning, the material brushing against sparkling skin. The bare-midriffs; curves swaying in a bubble of electricity, created and reinforced by the music, the atmosphere lifting you away from the world. Everything is glistening. Everything is shining.

The lights are vibrant. Multi-coloured spots, shapes, sizes, are circling the walls, encasing the dancers in a magic glow. The wall of fire reflected in the eyes of every child, the wonderment of something so powerful, so beautiful. The purple: glowing softly, welcoming. Nothing here is threatening. Everyone is together, everyone is having fun, everyone is alive with light. It's like a secret club, something special, and in the slight catch of a stranger's eye, a smile, this is acknowledged and shared generously between those there.

And the man sitting at the head of the room, his hat obscuring his face, he is not a DJ, but a celebrated God, conjuring his spells, his mystic dust he sprinkles over us through the music. The favourites. The ones we go crazy for and jump and scream and hold our hands up to the sky for; we can't get high enough. We can't dance hard enough, fast enough, dissolving into one, into the music, the lights, the heat of bodies around us. We worship him, and he, using his magic intuition, doesn't need to look at us to know we are celebrating. We are his minions and we will dance until we drop. A paradise created, with each person stretching and clamouring to make it last. An eternal party we crave.

And the light sticks, glowing with a life of their own. Vibrating and pulsating with the same desire as the dancers. They are like beacons. A constant feature and a recognizable symbol of fun and friendships; of the night of laughter. If there is a heaven, I dance in it every month.



Whirl-Y-Gig ...... CrunchyMole

I'd heard so much about it from people at Planet Angel, decided we MUST go, & take the kids with us too, because we wanted them to know the type of thing we did when they went to bed! - Booked tickets via answer phone & got first hint of the vibe when a VERY laid back slowly-spoken man phoned us up (who was he?!) - turned out to be Monkey Pilot himself! The day itself (September 2001?) coincided with the arrival in our family of a 6'6" Hungarian bloke, who insisted on coming with us, despite having spent 27 hours awake wedged in a National Express coach from Budapest.

So...10.30pm.... in we went ..... AAAGH! The BEAUTY of the place hit me! Colours, lights, balloons, fabrics draped on every surface, and the HUM of conversation - it was jaw dropping. I couldn't get over the image of the Earth from space on the wall. It just symbolised the sense of togetherness there. So glowsticks & fizzy drinks & chocolate cake were bought, balloons were kicked, drums played, and the rocking chair rocked in. We had a dance, but the children were too self-conscious to join in. They just weren't accustomed to such open friendliness from strangers, & found it a bit intimidating to be honest. And the older two, being self-professed nu-metal fans, found the music a bit tame & bouncy. Basically, they weren't used to letting go of their "egos" - which after all is one of the major joys of places like Whirly & Planet Angel for us. It was their first ever experience of anything like that. By midnight we discovered exhausted children & Hungarian sitting in hall next to mashed woman suspended over a bin throwing up, and oldest son said words to the effect of "Good grief mother, I suspect that the air is laden with etherous volatile material which is causing me unusual pupillary dilation". We were itching to dance & getting anxious about them all, so took rash decision to bundle them all into a cab home, while we stayed (they were FINE thank God).

It was only once we were relieved of our responsibilities(!) that we could relax into it. The music got "harder", more trance and less fluff & funk, and the vibe just kicked in. I remember dancing at the back, surrounded by strangers, and smiling at them, & feeling we were dancing in a ring, like a primitive tribe, with the stage as a burning fire, and those stunning lights as flames. It was an extraordinary sense of community and celebration. And the live drums near the front. I've still never got over that visceral pleasure of dancing with drummers, the speakers booming, and the drums pounding. Then suddenly everyone sat down. What? Are they tired? But I want to dance some more! Then I was on the floor too and the ceiling had gone, and the sky was psychedelic, wave after wave of colour. I felt like crying! I just sat there and thought how unbelievable it was, the PEACE and safety of the parachute, encircling hundreds of people who barely knew each other, but were happy to sit entangled, skin against skin, sharing water and smokes, and happiness. I reached for someone’s hand and just squeezed it. I even thought how crazy it would seem to passengers on the Underground who can't tolerate even LOOKING at each other! Then it was over and I wanted it to go on for EVER!!!

So my main problem with Whirly is that it's just too damned short! And the music's not banging enough early enough! But then again, it forces me to chill and chat..... and I know TONS more people now!

  

Holy Moley...Whirly? ...... Paul, Birmingham

Twas New Year's Eve...and nothing was stirring, save for a Monkey Pilot...and the rest of London.

Okay, well, i went with Will, June (Will's fiancee), Jane (June's twin sister), Hank (Jane's husband), and Niel (Hank's brother)- all those dudes live in a house together and we've only made friends since about November, when they were the only people to turn up to my housewarming party...Will liked my music, Hank liked my sofa, Niel likes everything =)

We'd got friends and they'd spent £175 to get down to London just cos I thought whirly was a good idea....

It was, a friend called Karen came too and we liked the place immediately. We bought different colour glow sticks for each of us, explored, just felt immediately at home with so much to look at ...and kids!

Momo came on and we liked that, did a bit of dancing (at the front - where else), then we discovered the chill room and some of us hung there, then MP played Banco's 'How much reality can you take' mixed with some kind of ethnic rap and I took one listen and just went bonkers and danced all crazy.

By the time that track finished, Will had met about 97% of the people there...seriously, I came across him in the middle room and he said 'All the people here are amazing, look at the families...I want to get to know EVERYONE here' or something like that, that made me really, really happy.

Until about 7am on a cold Euston station floor...

Between then and then though - whoa, group hugs at midnight, Joi after that - dancing full on through their set until New Zealand Kiwi man burnt my head, going to chill room and meeting lovesquaddies and Crunchymoles, Whirlyglenns and Rasta stewards smiling at me...getting hugged by the best hugging lady in the world, seeing System 7 and the parachute (which i'm under this Saturday, booked a space), telling everyone deep thoughts and how much I loved the music....

aaaaand then getting escorted backstage at 6.01am by Big Pete to meet Richard and Mary, and having long conversation with them about Will's video collaboration with Banco. Chatting to Richard was v. cool, that made me very happy too. Then met Rich Morley, bought a couple of his CD's and lost my change....which re-appeared magically in a fag packet. I did lose my Momo Cd, bit upset about that still..ho hum.

Best thing that happened was that I made a true friend in June that night, Will and Niel kinda already were, but we really connected well chatting the chill room and have been really close ever since, which is something we both needed. Her and Jane are really good influences on our whole group, very special people if you get chance to see past the whole wifey-twin stereotype. Which i'm sure almost everyone at Whirly would.

It brought our group and friendships closer together. We're planning a fun year in 2002 with lots of adventures, Planet Angels, Whirly Club nights, Glastonbury and WOMAD are all under heavy discussion and lift our days with things to look forward to.

Last year was a tough one, I gave up part of my life in the U.S. and realised I wasn't particularly happy with what was left here either. Rebuilding it's getting really fun lately and I credit New Year's Eve Whirly for a lot of inspiration - thanks for everyone who took part in that evening!

Whirl-y-Brum



Maria (aka "the Whirl-y-Fairy")

"From what I was told, I simply HAD to go to Whirly after missing a previous few due to other engagements, i couldn’t put it off any longer.

People I went with had been before, and told me to an extent what it was like. But nothing prepared me for it.... The bizarre sight of seeing children outside and going into whirly. At 11pm in Kings Cross. Balloons and smiles in motion. It was amazing, and I was sober! Paid my money to get in. (I somehow already felt I had got my moneys worth) Walked through the doors and was blown away. Attack of the senses in a most extraordinary way. Sight of multicolours - drapes/glowsticks/happy shiny Whirly-goers. The sound of wonderful energetic music. Closing my eyes feeling the bass go through me, reverberating and bringing me to life.

New exquisite anima around me. I hadn’t even taken my coat off...

Off to the toilets, time to snap the glowsticks and check make-up, well, normally. This time all that was done in what seemed to be a semi-chill out room. But no, it was a toilet, and I realised that the shiny happy Whirly love and friendliness was all around. I met an army of wonderful people just there.

To the chill-out room, a room so comforting. Soft lights, refreshments and all the people you could ever want to be in the presence of. Strangers, but not for very long! The atmosphere at whirly is so unpretentious its astounding. Acceptance and welcoming from all directions. If you’re the sort of person that gets inhibitions about a new place, you really don’t need to here!!

After the glaze of joy had (sort of) lifted to a point where I could move again, it was off to the main room again. Made my way up to the stage to dance. And I did, shortly before looking up and having to stop...." I was on another planet. I could see earth from where I was standing. A breathtaking projection.

I danced all night. I was not on the pull. My prospective love interest was in the arms of another, and I cared for about 2 seconds before I realised I didn’t need anything more than my wonderful friends and a wonderful whirly!! At the front of the stage I danced, until I built up a “fanbase” of people mimicking my dance moves. Sweat was literally dripping off of my body, and a wonderful member of the whirly staff fanned me with a giant...leaf thing! There is nothing but love and care here!! Suddenly people were sitting on the main floor. I knew it was time for the infamous parachute and joined them. A vast canopy moved over my head, and before I knew it I was skin to skin with my friends and more friends. No one at whirly is a stranger. Ambient music and love, everywhere a rippling canvass above me, waves of light projection swimming. I didn’t ever want it to end. But it had to, leaving me totally satisfied but yearning for the next in equal measures.

This was my first whirly.

If you haven’t had yours yet...you know what you have to do!